“Music heals my soul better than anything.”
Ryan Hall, “What Heals the Soul Better Than Music?”
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This past Saturday night, I was witness to one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It got me present to my own humanity at a new level.
I witnessed a man at the peak of his skills and talents, showing the world that he’s human.
And I saw one hell of a rock and roll show as well!
Consider this. We all have things in our lives where we may mess up or don’t get right. When you do, you can take one of two paths.
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I’ve mentioned before that I have a deep affection for the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. I truly love that place. And this past Saturday night, it was there where I was witness to one of the best concerts of my life.
It was also the longest concert of my life, but I digress.
But first, a little background.
Warren Haynes is one of the finest guitarists of all time. That’s not an exaggeration. The man could play anything from the blues to jazz. From BB King and Duane Allman to Wes Montgomery – he’s one of the finest guitarists of all time.
Off and on for close to a quarter century, he held down one of the guitar spots in the iconic Allman Brothers Band. And considering that Duane Allman was a master in his own right, even though he passed away at a young age, you know Gregg Allman wasn’t going to bring on just anyone someone to inherit the legacy of his big brother and Dickey Betts. This player would have to be able to play his ass off.
Haynes and Gregg collaborated on some of the best Allman songs of their later catalog. And the two men developed a very close relationship.
In the mid 90s, and amid rising tension in the Allmans, Haynes and Allman bassist Allen Woody took on a side project. They put together a band to cover some old blues and soul songs. Their intention was to only record one album.
But almost 25 years later, Gov’t Mule is one of the baddest and most in your face rock bands you’ll ever hear. They still play a few covers, but mostly it’s in your face and hard edge blues rock.
Or Southern Rock, if you want to be specific about it. Though I have a certain disdain for that phrase.
I saw Mule play at the Cap this past weekend. They played two nights and had a film crew recording both performances. I’m not sure if it’ll be for a TV special or for a Blu-Ray collection.
They played Friday and Saturday night. I took in the Saturday show.
Gov’t Mule took the stage around 8:30. They didn’t take their final bow until after midnight. They did take about a 20-minute break (what I thought) was midway through their show. It wasn’t even close to the end.
Early in the show, the band played an absolute rocker of a song called Mule. It’s a badass song and one of my favorites of theirs. This song has one of the sickest basslines this side of Tower of Power’s What is Hip?
During Mule, Warren hit a slide guitar solo that had me in tears. This was for a couple reasons.
- For one thing, he was deep in the zone! This solo was radioactive, it was so hot!
- Second, you’ll see why I was crying when you read my new book (coming Holidays 2018…good lord willing.)
Warren’s also a dynamic singer as well. And I’m honestly surprised his voice held up over a close to 4-hour show.
While we’re in the concert review portion of our program, I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out the other guys in the band. Jorgen Carlsson was on bass (Woody unexpectedly passed away in 2000.) Danny Louis played some really gorgeous keyboards, and also knew his way around a guitar and surprisingly a trombone. And they have one of the tightest drummers I’ve ever heard by the name of Matt Abts. Seriously, the dude wasn’t flashy but was a human metronome.
Back to Warren Haynes.
I’ve seen interviews with this guy. I studied him a little bit as I was researching my new novel.
At least how he appears in the media, there doesn’t appear to be a lick of diva or pretentious rock star jackass about him. He comes across as a humble country boy from North Carolina with a prodigious gift.
This isn’t a music review. Although, if you have the opportunity to catch Gov’t Mule live – it’s a helluva show. If you appreciate live music played by gifted musicians who play with a ton of soul and love, go catch Mule live!
Now, here’s why I’m bringing this up.
Late in the show, they started playing a song. And I kept seeing Warren looking off stage at something. Presumably a roadie or his guitar tech.
But something wasn’t sitting well with him. And the other guys in the band were picking up on that.
Warren eventually walked off stage. And after a couple minutes, he came back on stage and says something to the other guys in the band. They all eventually stopped playing.
Haynes got on the mic and said something. I don’t remember exactly what he said, so I won’t quote him. But here’s the gist.
When you drop your pride, show the world your humanity, then the people who matter will like you more.
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“If it’s okay with y’all, we’d like another opportunity to play that for y’all. Especially since we’re recording this.” He got the crowd to make some noise, and we did.
They started back with the song and absolutely crushed it! If it’s going to be on Blu-ray, I hope that outtake is an extra because it was a beautiful moment to me.
All the musicians in Mule are accomplished men playing with soul, passion, and love. But make no mistake, Warren’s the face and voice of that band.
I was blown away by his humility and his humanity. If that happened to other rock stars, they probably would’ve ended the concert early and stormed off stage.
It was such a cool moment because there was no worry about him looking bad or not looking good. He owned and took responsibility for their mess up (which my ears didn’t hear.)
Consider this. We all have things in our lives where we may mess up or don’t get right. When you do, you can take one of two paths.
- You can own up to it. Take responsibility. And try again.
- You can hide it, obfuscate it, and pretend like it doesn’t happen.
Honestly, I fall into the latter more often than not. If I screw something up, I may lie and hide how I really feel. Or I’ll simply play it off as insignificant.
But when you drop your pride, show the world your humanity, then the people who matter will like you more.
While I have always been a fan of Warren Haynes the musician, I’m a bigger fan of Warren the man now.
I’m taking on four new clients in the month of May. I’m looking to support four kings to level up their lives and grab their crowns.
Please email me at [email protected] to schedule your free possibility session.
We all have skills, talents, and abilities that can change the world. But all of us reading this are human beings.
Well, maybe for that one dog who reads my column that lives in Iowa. Hey Ralph!
But I believe that our talents don’t change the world. It’s our humanity that changes the world.
Let your guard down. Let the world see your truth. And watch the world respect and admire you.
And that is what changes the world!
Photo by Stefan Schmitz